Business

Microsoft is not brand you’d associate with anti-virus software, unless you mean it in a pejorative sense. But starting Windows 8, the company has turned its Windows Defender into a full-blown anti-malware, anti-virus program to exactly change that negative image. Not exactly a good news for creators of anti-virus software like Kaspersky Labs. In fact, according to the company’s Eugene Kaspersky, Microsoft is being downright anti-competitive. In a rather vocal blog post, the Russian billionaire has revealed that he is taking his complaints to the EU’s and Russia’s anti-trust bodies, where Microsoft already doesn’t have good standing.

Another emissions cheating scandal may be brewing and this time out it's with Audi, VW's luxury brand. VW is still trying to dig its way out of the emissions cheating scandal with its cars and the scandal spilled over into some Audi and Porsche models. This new emissions cheating issue is in Audi cars with automatic transmissions and VW apparently admitted the issue.

They say pride cometh before the fall, or something like that. That does seem to be the case for Chinese technology giant LeEco, who just last month made a very big grab for the US smartphone market. But that hasn’t been the only thing LeEco has been busy with. In a proverbial “biting off more than you can chew”, company co-founder Jia Yueting admitted in a lengthy internal memo that the company is indeed running out of money, thanks to its unrestrained and ambitious expansion.

In the near future, some Amazon Prime members may be able to order home cleaning help through the subscription service, at least if a new job listing is anything to go by. A pair of job listings have surfaced on Amazon's website for "Home Assistant" workers who will help customers "with tidying up around the home." The job listings are only for the Seattle region, however.

As it prepares to ramp up production with the introduction of its Model 3, Tesla has announced plans to acquire Grohmann Engineering. Based in Prüm, Germany, Tesla plans to use Grohmann's approach to automation to help it increase production. This is also the first step toward Tesla adding 1,000 advanced engineering and skilled technician jobs in Germany over the next two years.

LastPass has announced that its syncing feature is now free to use across multiple devices, including things like your laptop, tablet and smartphone. Whatever devices you use the service on, your passwords will sync across them and it won’t cost you anything. Premium members will still keep exclusive access to the other premium perks, however, including things like going ad-free and sharing with up to five users.

Amazon's physical bookstores, which are thus far found only in select major cities, give Prime members discounts on books while everyone else (read: non-Prime members) pay the list price. The discount/no discount doesn't apply to Amazon devices, however, meaning everyone pays the same price for a Kindle or an Echo. While this may not be a big deal for occasional book buyers, it could add up substantially for those who frequently pick up the latest releases.

Tesla has taken the wraps off the new ‘Solar Roof,’ an offering that is tougher, costs less, and is arguably more attractive than a conventional roof. Rather than having large solar panels mounted on a roof, the Solar Roof looks completely ordinary, only each ‘shingle’ is actually a glass slate with a small solar cell within. This solar roof would work alongside the newly unveiled Powerwall 2 to power someone's entire home, ushering in our green future.

Back in July, Soylent announced the launch of its new 1.6 powder, an update over the older 1.5 formula that was supposed to be similar to the newer 2.0 liquid drink. Soon after, it announced the launch of breakfast bars. Then soon after that, some of its customers started getting sick. First reports surfaced about illnesses caused by the food bars, leading to sales being halted. Then reports started about illnesses from the 1.6 powder, and those sales, too, have now been stopped.

Amazon Prime has arrived in China as of today, and it works more or less the same way it does in the U.S. Customers in China can subscribe to a year of Prime for the equivalent of $28 USD during a promotional period, with the regular price being $57 USD. With this comes free shipping, including on imports from the Amazon Global Store. With this new business move, Amazon takes on Alibaba and other competitors.

Following the recent news that it had failed to attract acquisition offers from a handful of potential suitors, Twitter has revealed that it will be cutting 9% of its staff. The announcement came alongside the social network's Q3 financial earnings for 2016, and the layoffs will account for roughly 350 employees. This is all part of a restructuring plan for the company that aims to reach profitability by 2017, and it's a similar move to what CEO Jack Dorsey did last year when over 300 people were fired in an attempt to reduce costs.